Flying Act
by Xaphrielle
Summary: Set in the Victorian times, Fang and Iggy, both maintaining their wings take up work in a circus. After having to prove themselves and take lower work, they both finally gain the privilege of beings the circus' main aerial act. Faced with unfriendly workmates, jealous Russians and interested women, they must not only hide their abnormalities but also their love for one other.
1. Chapter 1

Old Tom narrowed his eyes and leaned against a handy wooden upright as he watched the two impossibly exotic young men pick their way carefully across the field. It was muddy in places, they skirted a puddle and a generous pile of elephant dung. They were both tall and reed thin, one had black hair hanging scandalously loose half way down his back. He wore brown and cream striped breeches, a faded frock coat and an improbable slightly battered top hat. The other was a hands breath taller, dressed more conservatively in a brown jacket and trousers, but he had pretty red-gold hair that hung to his shoulders, and no kind of hat at all. Old Tom guessed at once that these two were looking for work, they had the vagabond air of habitual travellers. A circus would be the right place then.

"Can I help you?" he asked as they got close enough.

The dark haired boy swept an elegant bow. "I hope so!" he flashed a grin. He was very good looking in a dark foreign kind of way. "Who do we ask about work?"

"That would be the boss. Mr. Clements to _you_." Old Tom waved a hand to the huge sign painted on a length of wood above the big top entrance. It said –Clements Circus- in giant red letters. "Can't you read?" he asked.

"Yes" said the black haired boy.

"No" said the blonde at the exact same moment.

Tom regarded the blonde boy closely, he had the palest blue eyes he had ever seen, and they were fixed on nothing somewhere over his shoulder.

"Are you blind?" he asked

The blonde dipped his head. "I am sir".

Old Tom snorted a laugh. "I can't see Mr. Clements finding a job for you!"

The boy's brows furrowed. "I can do much more than you would suppose sir" he replied quietly.

"We both can" said the dark boy.

Old Tom shrugged. "It's up to Mr. Clements, not me"

At that moment a young woman appeared round the edge of the big top mounted on a flashy white horse. Anywhere but a circus she would have been arrested for indecency. Her black curls were scraped into a messy bun and she wore a thin red shirt and white breeches that looked like nothing as much as a pair of men's long johns.

"Who are you?" she flashed an appreciative black gaze over them.

The dark boy bowed again. "Abraham Goldstein at your service madam". He prodded the blonde boy who also managed a decent bow.

"Icarus Brown" he said.

The young woman frowned at Abraham.

"That sounds Jewish. Are you of the Jewish persuasion sir?"

He shrugged, gave her another handsome grin. "Is it a problem if I am?" he asked.

"No not really" the girl swept an encompassing hand round the muddy field. "This is a circus after all. We are very diverse sir. I'm Clemency" she added. "No don't say it, I know!" she pulled a face. "Clemency Clements. I don't know what my father was thinking!"

"You're Mr Clements daughter" said Icarus stating the obvious. "Then it's your father we want to see"

Old Tom snorted another laugh

"In a manner of speaking" added Icarus

"This one is blind" Tom told Clemency. "Can't think what your father would do with him!"

"Me neither" she replied, "But I'll take you to him." She swung easily off the horse in one fluid motion. "Here Tom, take Starlight will you?" she handed the rope halter to the old man.

He walked the horse away muttering under his breath "I'm no stable hand!"

Clemency grinned after him. "Tom's been with the circus since God was a boy! He takes the money and keeps the accounts now he's too old to perform. He thinks looking after the horses is beneath his dignity!"

"Do you need someone to look after the horses?" asked Icarus

"And the other animals" admitted Clemency. "We had a stable boy, he caught a fever and died. Shame" she reflected "He was only twelve."

"I like animals" said Icarus eagerly "I could do that job"

Clemency shrugged again. "It's up to papa, come on."

She led them through a bewildering maze of tents, wagons and ropes. Abraham silently reached out a hand and took Icarus' arm, steering him round things. Clemency noticed and shook her head slightly, a circus was no place for a blind boy. It was a pity though she thought, they were both very good looking.

"This is papa" she said. She had taken them to a flat area of beaten earth behind the big top.

Abraham watched as a tall well built man with impressive black whiskers gestured to a boy to continue to walk another white horse in circles.

"It's no good" he shook his head annoyed "He's definitely lame. He can't perform tonight. Damn!" He turned at their approach. "Ah Clemency my love, you'll just have to use Starlight tonight."

She nodded. "Papa, this is Abraham Goldstein and Icarus Brown." Clemency gestured them forward. "They're looking for work."

Mr Clements walked over and regarded them shrewdly with eyes as black as his daughters. "Abraham?" he queried.

"He's Jewish" Clemency said brightly "And the other one is blind." Better her father knew right away.

Mr Clements raised an eyebrow. "What is it you do?" he asked levelly.

"We're acrobats, ariel artistes sir!" replied Abraham with a flourish.

"Really?" how did that work. He glanced at Icarus who stood impassively, a slight smile on his lips, looking at nothing.

"You'd be surprised" he responded quietly as if feeling the man's eyes on him.

"Anyway I have all the acrobats I need" he said. "Comic ones, the Russian ones, I don't need more."

"Then we can do just anything" Abraham said quickly "We've done all sorts before"

Clements was about to send them packing when a thought occurred to him. "Acrobat you say? You won't be sacred of heights then?"

"Not at all sir"

"See that?" Clements gestured to the roof of the big top, at the very apex was a long rent in the waxed canvas. By rights he should lower the great canvas show ring to mend the tear. But time was money, to do so would mean cancelling the show tonight.

"Think you can sort that out?"

Abraham studied the tear for a minute or two. "I'll need a patch about six foot long, four wide. And sail cloth needles, and waxed thread." He shot Clements a look. "It's a long job and a dangerous one. What will you pay me?"

"You rogue" Clements scowled without rancour "I'll pay your board tonight, and the promise of paid work if you do this well. Just you though, not the other one."

"He's my brother."

"Of course he is" Clements had never seen two boys less alike.

"My _adopted _brother" Abraham clarified. "And we stay together"

"I don't care where he stays, but I'm not paying him or feeding him."

Icarus seemed to rouse himself from his daydream. "Let me see your lame horse" he said.

"What?" Clements scowled again

"I'll wager I can do something for him" the boy replied evenly.

Clements shrugged motioned for Clemency to bring the horse. She led the animal close to the boy.

"He's called Moonlight" she said, stroking his long silver forelock. The horse stood gingerly, not putting his weight on his left foreleg. Icarus reached out a hand touching the horse's neck, then pressed his face close into the horse, murmuring something too quietly for the others to hear. But the stallion twitched an ear and turned his head to blow gently on the boy. He had a way with horses, that was for sure thought Clements.

"Now let me see this troublesome injury" Icarus ran his hand down the horses left foreleg.

"How do you know this is the lame leg?" asked Clemency curiously. It was apparent that Icarus could not see what he was doing. His fingers moved gently probing the horses leg whilst his head was held high looking nowhere near the injury itself.

"The way he holds himself" Icarus smiled in her direction "The way his neck and shoulder muscles tense on the left side." He returned to his examination. "The tendon is inflamed here at the fetlock." He touched the place gently, Moonlight snorted and carefully moved his hoof away. "It's an old injury" Icarus went on "It comes every so often does it not?"

"Yes" Clemency said "A few times a year it bothers him."

Icarus nodded "He was worked too young. It strained his growing bones."

"It's true" Clements acknowledged. "We had him out in the ring as a yearling. We needed him quick to replace the horse that died of colic." He has underestimated the blind boy.

"I can do something for him" Icarus said with certainty. "A poultice to bring down the swelling. Leave him tome and he won't be lame in a day or two, I promise."

"If the pair of you can do as you say" Clements regarded them, Icarus kneeling at the horses leg, Abraham standing elegantly to one side. "If" he repeated, "Then I may consider hiring you for this week, may be next. If you prove useful to me."

They grinned hugely at him.

"You can call me Fang sir, everyone does." Abraham swept another bow.

"Fang?" Clemency asked.

"Yes! Because of the vampire that Mr Stoker wrote about. _Abraham _Stoker, see?"

"Ah yes" she nodded, understanding the connection. Fang did look exactly like a vampire should, Dark brooding and very beautiful.

"And I'm Iggy" Icarus got to his feet. "Less of a mouthful than Icarus. Don't you agree?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fang wasted no time in making good his promise to Clements. He wrapped the waxed canvas round his shoulders like a cloak, stuffed the needles and thread into his pockets, then, still wearing his frock coat and boots pulled himself up the guy ropes to the roof.. His only concession to the height was to take off his top hat and leave it balanced on the large canvas bag they had brought with them.

"Will he be alright?" Clemency was used to seeing all sorts of acrobatic feats, but even so she had her heart in her mouth as Fang, having reached the pitched roof, ran lightly up the wooden supports. They were on the inside, Fang was on the outside, balanced only on the canvas itself. Nothing to stop him falling.

"Yes he'll be fine" Iggy raised his head in the right direction for the roof. "Fang knows what he's doing"

And indeed Fang seemed to as he set to work patching the canvas, like a bird on the very point of the roof. One leg hitched round the flag pole on top.

Iggy bent down and swept his hand about until he found the bag. He felt Fang's hat on top of it and put it on his own head. Then heaving the bag on to his shoulder,

"Shall we go to the stable?" he asked Clemency "See to Moonlight?"

He rested a hand on the horse's shoulder, using the horse as his guide as Clemency led the way. Once inside the horse tent he busied himself setting down the bag, taking off Fang's hat and his own coat which he placed neatly folded on a pile of hay.

"I'll need a bowl of hot water, some oats, and strips of bandage" he said, taking for granted that Clemency would help.

She almost bristled at his presumption but curiosity got the better of her.

"Oats?"

"They make the very best poultice, we'll make it as hot as he can stand"

Clemency brought what he asked for and watched as he expertly made up a thick paste for the horses leg, and bound it there. Moonlight snorted but stood patiently.

"After it cools we do it again" Iggy's fingers tied a deft bow in the bandage. "I'll treat him tonight and tomorrow, then we'll see."

He got to his feet and began to smooth out the horses mane with gentle fingers.

"If you have a curry comb I may as well groom him while we wait"

"Here" Clemency held out a curry comb from the pile of brushes left on a small table in the tent. Iggy held out his hand towards her, she placed the comb in it then settled down to watch him.

"A stallion like this is worth a lot" he said as he brushed "Too valuable to let go lame"

"Where did you learn about horses?" Clemency asked

"Around and about" he replied vaguely "Like Fang said, we've worked in circuses before."

"As acrobats?"

"As all sorts of things" he said

"When you could see?" Clemency had no tact and a lot of curiosity as her father had often told her

"What?" Iggy frowned, confused

"You were an acrobat before you went blind?" she clarified. She didn't see how he could do it _after._

"Well no" Iggy paused in his brushing. "I've been blind all my life, there never was a before." Not strictly true but he wasn't going to go into details about the experiment, and anyway he really couldn't remember seeing _before _the experiment so it was mostly true.

"Oh" Clemency blinked in surprise "Then how did you….how do you..?"

"How do I not break my neck on the high wire?" he smiled "Well my balance is good I guess, and I can hear perfectly well where I need to be when I'm up there."

"Still" Clemency pressed "It's unusual you must admit, a blind acrobat, really."

"Then I guess I'm pretty unusual" he agreed

"And Fang?" said Clemency recalling his eerily skilled run up the canvas roof

"Ah now Fang is definitely unusual!" Iggy smiled. "This poultice is cooling" he added. "If you get me some more hot water I'll do it again."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I think we'll be alright for a while here Ig" said Fang as he settled next to him on the hay. Clements had given them permission to stay in the horse tent.

"We could do with a break from the road even for a few weeks" Iggy agreed

"Here, share this with me" Fang offered the wooden plate to Iggy who reached out with enquiring fingers.

"Is this pork pie?" he asked

"And bread, and cheese. The pie is yours, I've eaten mine, but share the rest."

Iggy took a huge bite of pie. "I think I've convinced Clements I'm not a liability anyway Moonlight's going back in the show" he said round the pie. "And I've learned my way about the place, Mostly" he added

"Except that thing with the lion"

"Well except that"

Fortunately Clemency had come upon Iggy feeling his way carefully between the animal cages just as he was about to put his hand through the bars of the lion's cage. The lion was old and had no teeth but from the way it had watched Iggy approach it was clear he wanted to test his gums out at least.

"Clemency didn't tell?" asked Fang

"No she didn't want to get me into trouble with her pa."

"Do you think she _likes _you Ig?"

"I don't know- I don't think so. I hope not" replied Iggy quickly

He put the plate down and felt for Fang's hands taking both of them in his own. The tent was in shadow, no candles were allowed this close to so much hay. Even so Fang could read Iggy's thoughts without properly seeing his face.

"I only like you Fang, you know I do. I don't want any other sweetheart"

"I know Ig" Fang leant forward and touched his lips to Iggy's and pulled apart again quickly. It would be very bad indeed if they were caught doing that or well-anything.

"There are too many people" he said by way of explanation.

"I realise that Fang" Iggy replied "I can hear everything."

"I know you can" Fang owned

Iggy could hear like other people could see. So well in fact that it was sometimes possible to almost forget that he was blind. Fang had seen him walk unerringly through a crowded room with apparently no effort plenty of times.

"I know you can" he repeated "I'm sorry"

Iggy nodded, satisfied. The thing with the lion was a rare mistake and Iggy was embarrassed by it. He had no time for the limitations of his blindness and didn't want other people to think that he was helpless because of it.

"We should go and check out the high wire and trapeze" he said." Even if we can't perform we should practise."

"Now?" asked Fang

"When else?" replied Iggy "No one will be using it. Besides" he added" I prefer to practise in private, at least til I learn my way about up there."

"In case we fall" said Fang

"Yes in case we do" agreed Iggy.

They left the horse tent and began to walk towards the big top, as they passed the animal cages various of the inhabitants growled or snorted at them. The circus boasted a lion, a tiger, and a bear. There were other, less dangerous animals like the horses as well. Lastly they passed the place where the elephant was tethered.

"Hey girl" Iggy stroked the enquiring trunk. He only looked after the horses and the smaller animals, the elephant had her own keeper, a tiny Italian who always seemed cross. But Iggy liked the elephant she was old and half blind. The Italian maintained that it made her easier to manage. Iggy felt sorry for her because she had no choice but to go where she was taken.

As they passed one of the storage tents they could hear voices, laughter even. They paused, Iggy tilted his head listening.

"I think it's Milo" he said. He was beginning to separate out and make sense of all the voices that surrounded him.

Milo was one of the clowns, also a dwarf. Iggy was now responsible for the clowns performing goose and had met Milo a few times. Fang pushed the tent flap aside, a small group of people sat around on packing crates and bales of hay inside. A swift glance round told Fang all he needed to know.

Milo the dwarf; Jenny a for-real bearded lady; two timid little girls billed as the amazing cone headed sisters; and two or three others he had not met yet.

"Hey" Milo got to his feet his blue eyes unfriendly "You can't come in here boys"

"Ah, okay" Iggy said

"It's nothing personal Iggy" Milo assured him "I like you, you know I do. But this little party is for us freaks, it's Jenny's birthday"

Jenny raised a glass and smiled at them. "Best wishes boys" her beard was luxuriant in the lamplight, a dark red like her hair. She was Irish.

"I know you're blind" Milo continued "But that just makes you unfortunate, not a freak. As for your handsome friend…"

"I'm not unfortunate" replied Iggy crossly "I just can't see"

"Anyway boys" another figure shifted into the pool of light, Harry the half man. "Do as Milo says and run along"

From the waist up he was a young, even good looking man with dark curly hair and brown eyes. But where his hips should be, his legs start, there was nothing, as if he had been sliced neatly in half. Harry could move as well on his hands as anyone else could on their feet, and now he pushed past them, balanced neatly on one hand and twitched the canvas door open with the other.

"Goodbye then" he said.

"Ah well now" Fang ignored him and addressed Milo instead. "I reckon we can get ourselves an invite to this party."

Milo snorted. "Don't think so Mr perfect"

"What do you think Ig?" asked Fang

"If you want Fang. If you think they won't blow our cover. Do they look trustworthy to you?"

"Hey! I take exception to that" Milo said "We have a code us freaks"

"What would they know about that?" Harry said "Shut up Milo, it's nothing to do with them."

"Wrong" Fang took off his jacket and handed it to Iggy then unbuttoned his heavy cotton shirt.

"The night's improving!" Jenny commented appreciatively

Fang now stood bare-chested in the dim light facing the little crowd. His skin was silver-white, smooth and perfect. His narrow ribs liked carved ivory. As everyone watched he slowly spread his vast black wings as far as the tent would allow. His feathers brushed the canvas roof.

"Oooh!" commented one of the cone headed sisters "Pretty birdy!"

Milo spluttered and Jenny almost dropped her glass. From the back of the tent a deep rumbling voice said

"I think that's gonna count him in Milo!"

Angus, the seven and a half foot Scottish giant proffered an empty glass at Fang

"Here get some whiskey in that lad!"

Harry flipped himself on to a bale of hay next to Iggy.

"Are you the same as him?" he asked

Iggy passed Fang's things back to him. Fang pulled on his shirt. Now he just looked like anyone, if anyone was a dazzlingly beautiful young man.

"Yes" Iggy pulled his shirt over his head. He was as beautiful as Fang.

Jenny whistled between her teeth. "What a birthday!"

As Fang had done Iggy slowly stretched his wings out, but his were a snowy white with a beautiful dove grey blush at the edges. He flapped them carefully.

"Oh!Oh! Pretty birdy!" one of the cone-headed sisters jumped up "Belle have birdy!"

"No Belle" Jenny intervened, then to Iggy "It's not her fault, Belle and Mel are-

simple- you know"

"I don't mind" Iggy dipped his head smiling, he looked like an angel. "You can touch my wings Belle, but be gentle – they're attached!"

Belle surged forward followed by her sister. The two little girls stroked Iggy's wings lovingly.

"Love you birdy" said Mel

"Here, these are for you" Iggy reached round and pulled a fine white feather out of both of his wings. Yours to keep, one each."

Iggy held out one of his own feathers in each hand to the girls, they stared at him solemnly. "You'll have to take them" he said "I can't see you"

"What do you say?" prompted Jenny

"Thank you" they chorused then crept forward and took the feathers from him.

Angus had a generous sized bottle of whiskey, he re-filled everyone's glass except Mel and Belle.

"You took a risk with us" the final figure in the little gathering came forward. "I'm Zara, the lizard woman" She gestured at her face, she was completely bald, no eyebrows even. Her skin was stretched so tight across the planes of her face her eyes were dark slits. A diamond pattern of silvery scales covered her skin.

"Did we?" Fang challenged, handing back Iggy his shirt.

"Oh" said Belle disappointed as Iggy folded his wings away.

"For sure" Zara had an accent from somewhere else, French maybe? "We have no choice" she continued "The world sees what we are. But you two beautiful boys…you can go anywhere can you not? Hide what you are?"

"Of course we can" said Iggy turning to her voice "And we do, all the time. But why would you think we don't sometimes want this?" he gestured around at the little group.

"Iggy's right" Fang sat down next to Harry who shifted over to make room for him. "Like you, it feels good to be with people who won't hurt us. Who will just let us be."

Zara nodded. "I understand of course, we won't tell"

"The code" said Milo "I told you, we look after our own."

Iggy smile in his direction, "Do I get to taste any of this whiskey anytime soon?"

"Yes" Milo reached out and pulled Iggy down next to him. "Sit here. Angus, a glass for our pretty bird boy!"

Belle and Mel were yawning. Jenny busied herself making a little bed for them in the hay at the back of the tent.

"Goodnight my doves" she said tenderly as she covered them with a cloak.

"Goodnight mama" they replied sleepily

Fang raised an eyebrow "Mama?"

"I am now" Jenny gave him a defiant look. "They were tiny when their mother sold them to Clements. How else would they survive?"

"My Jenny is an angel, that's what she is" added Milo

Jenny's your sweetheart?" asked Iggy.

"Hah! Jenny's my wife boy" said Milo. "We were married in a proper church by a proper priest."

Jenny took another generous swig of her whiskey. "Milo is not little everywhere!" she grinned at Iggy, who was oblivious to it. "What about you pretty bird, do you have a sweetheart?"

"Erm-er- no" Iggy lied, his face felt hot "We move about too much for me to meet anyone. And-and-It's hard when you can't see.." he embellished furiously "You don't notice er girls _noticing_ you."

"Well your luck might change" Jenny nodded to herself. "I've noticed Clemency noticing you."

"Oh- er- the wings" Iggy said hurriedly. "That would be bad."

"That girl would get the shock of her life!" cackled Milo

"It's best that we don't – that we just don't" Fang filled in to rescue Iggy.

"Can we talk about something else?" said Harry suddenly

"Sorry pal" Milo looked shame-faced

"We don't all have the choice do we?" said Harry bitterly to Fang

Fang dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Sometimes our choices are not our own to make" he said quietly. He was thinking that loving Iggy was a hard choice, but one he had to make. Not loving Iggy would be like not breathing, impossible.

"You know that problem with this party?" Angus broke in

"What?" replied Jenny offended, it was _her_ party after all

"Not enough whiskey is being consumed!"

"Ah, you could be right there" admitted Jenny

The party eventually ended simply because everyone fell asleep where they sat or lay.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning everyone had a headache except for Mel and Belle. Jenny had not allowed them to drink any whiskey. The owner of the whiskey, Angus, was okay too, he was too big to be much effected by what he drank.

Fang and Iggy stumbled groggily from the store tent right into Clemency passing by with a bucket of offal for the lion. Fang's stomach did a flip at the sight of it.

"What's that smell?" Iggy looked a bit green under his usual pallor

"Nero's breakfast" replied Clemency "You look like you could both do with some food in you yourselves"

"Not possible" Iggy shook his head carefully

"Have you been drinking?"

"Maybe" Iggy admitted

"Jenny's birthday" Fang nodded towards the tent then flinched at the motion "And Angus' whiskey" he added

"They invited you to a party?" Clemency's eyebrows shot up

"What's wrong with that?" Fang challenged "The freaks are people too"

"I know that!" Clemency shot back "I'm circus born after all. I just mean I'm surprised, that's all. They like to keep themselves to themselves usually. You boys must have made an impression."

"I think Milo made an exception for us" said Iggy quickly "Because I'm blind. Maybe he felt sorry for me?"

"You don't know Milo very well if you think that" said Clemency shrewdly . "Anyway, I've got work to do, and so have you. Enjoy your headaches boys!" She strode off deliberately swinging the bucket to waft the offal smell about.

"I'm going to throw up" said Iggy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	2. Chapter 2

The next time Fang and Iggy went to the big top to practise, they actually made it. No one was having a party. Milo insisted on coming with them, to keep watch he said.

"I've got a feeling any passers by will get more than they bargained for watching you two up there."

Fang nodded. "It's true" he agreed. "We hardly ever fall, but if we do, we fall _slowly _if you see what I mean?"

"And I need to figure out where everything is" said Iggy "Learn my way about, like I do on the ground. It's kind of easier to do when I'm flying."

Milo stood open mouthed at the entrance to the big top, half watching for passers by, half watching Fang and Iggy. The boys had stripped to their breeches and loose white shirts, kicked off their boots so they were barefoot, then simply snapped their wings open and taken off.

At first Iggy had circled round and round while Fang called soft instructions to him.

"Trapeze to your left, about six foot away. High wire below, maybe ten foot."

When Iggy had sorted the layout in his head he simply folded his wings, and landed with complete accuracy on the high wire. He ran along it, then back again.

"It's a nice one Fang" he said

"Yes" Fang dropped next to him on the wire, hooked his legs over it and span round backwards, before swinging upright again.

Milo closed his mouth and swallowed hard. Fang and Iggy spent the next few minutes doing what they called "fooling around". Iggy hung upside down on the trapeze and caught Fang by his feet as he launched himself from the other trapeze. Then Fang caught Iggy. They ran up and down the high wire singly and together, once or twice jumping over each other. Milo had seen some acrobatics, but nothing to touch this. If Clements let them in the show they would have to tone it down a _lot_ or no amount of over-sized shirts would hide what they were.

Footsteps approached, it was four in the morning, almost no one was about. Except Clements, returning from one of his midnight liaisons. Clements was good looking, he was the boss. He could have any woman he wanted.

Milo had felt himself blessed that any woman at all could over look his height, or lack of it. He was well aware that everyone thought him and Jenny a comic couple, a dwarf with a wife whose beard was far better than his own. But he loved her, she loved him, everyone could go hang.

"Ah, Mr Clements!" he boomed as loudly as he could. "And how are you Sir?"

On the high wire, Fang stopped doing his crazy back flips. Iggy dropped down from an impossibly slow aerial loop.

"Milo" Clements acknowledged him. What the dwarf thought of his nocturnal activities was of no consequence to him.

"What's this?" he stepped into the big top, normally deserted at this hour. But not today he noted.

"Ah Fang and Iggy" said Milo unnecessarily. The half light of dawn was perfectly adequate to see who was up there.

"Any good?" asked Clements conversationally

"The best I've seen" said Milo honestly

Clements raised an eyebrow "High praise indeed"

"But true" said Milo

Fang and Iggy could earn ten times more as performers than stable hands and general dogs bodies.

"Show Mr Clements what you got boys!" he called up. Not all of it, he added silently in his head.

Fang and Iggy did tone it down, but still theirs was an impressive act. They did amazing back flips and somersaults from the trapeze, catching each other and throwing each other about wildly. At one point Fang was hanging upside down holding Iggy, also up side down by one leg. In a bewildering flurry of twists and turns, they reversed the move so that Iggy was holding on to Fang. Lastly they both dropped to the high wire and ran back ad forth lightly, both doing back flips. At the very end Iggy swung off the wire, a good twenty feet off the ground, and "fell" in a slow spiral to the ground. Fang, more conventionally, used the ladder.

Clements was not a man easily impressed, even so he snapped hi jaw shut as they walked over to him, still bare foot and barely breathing hard.

"Erm- that last bit Iggy...How did you?"

"It's an illusion" said Fang quickly "Isn't everything, in an act like ours?"

It had looked real enough to Clements who knew how most tricks in the circus were accomplished. It looked for all the world like Iggy had simply dropped of the wire and _floated _to the ground.

"Masterful!" Milo jumped in to stop more questions "Wouldn't you say so Mr Clements? Do these boys have a job?" he pressed

Clements smoothed his whiskers "Well…" he conceded "Perhaps. But I need a stable hand more than I need another acrobatic act."

"I can do both" said Iggy at once "The horses in the day and the act at night." His gaze slid past Clements face and fixed somewhere past his ear, reminding Clements that this boy was blind. How did he manage to do any of it at all?"

"I'll help Iggy" added Fang "I'm good with horses too"

"Leave it with me boys" Clements said at last and turned and walked off.

"Is that a yes or a no?" asked Iggy

"A yes, definitely!" Milo grinned "If it were a no, you'd be in no doubt about it."

"What were you thinking Iggy with that last bit?" Fang threw his jacket and boots at him "here catch!"

To Milo's astonishment Iggy did, holding both arms out and catching his things accurately.

"I didn't know the way down" he protested in response

"The ladder was exactly where you would guess Ig, at the _end _of the wire"

Iggy shook his head defiantly "I didn't know which end Fang"

"You could have asked Ig. We just about got away with that little stunt"

Iggy frowned, he thought he had fallen fast and fallen well and said so.

"No one falls _that_ well Ig" said Fang

"Ah sorry Fang" he admitted " I forget about what people see you know. It felt right- but it didn't look right, did it?"

"Just trust me with these things" Fang said "And use the ladder!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"That falling thing – I want you to do it again" said Clements, he leaned back in his chair, "Can you?"

"Ah, well, if you want" Iggy replied.

They had been summoned to Clements "office" later that day. His office was a grand wooden wagon that also served as his bedchamber. It was an office right now by the simple addition of a table and chair in the middle of the floor. Behind it, his bed, his closet and his chamber pot (empty fortunately) were still visible.

"Well I have a concept for a show" said Clements "You know the story of Icarus and Daedelus?"

"Yes" Fang nodded "A scientist and his son. Daedelus made them wings, and they flew" His throat went dry, had this man guessed?

"And Icarus flew too close too the sun" Iggy filled in "And his wings melted, and he fell. Oh.." he said realising "I'm to be Icarus in the act?" He smiled and shrugged "Well it is my actual name" Or one of them, he thought privately.

Clements hadn't guessed. Fang let out the breath he was holding.

"Yes boys, I'll get a huge metal sun, hang it from the roof. You work your act round that see?"

"And at the end I fall" said Iggy

"The crowd will love it" said Clements satisfied. "We need to sort your wings out."

"Un okay" Fang agreed. How was _that_ going to work?

"I'll get Clemency on to it. She has a way with costumes" Clements said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

"Oh dear" said Jenny, they had gone to share the good news with Jenny and Milo in their wagon.

Jenny made a pot of tea. Mel and Belle lived in the wagon with them. They crept out of their little curtained bed on hearing the voices their eyes huge in their odd little faces. Their strange pointy skulls made their features narrow with small mouths and buck teeth. They looked like scared little rabbits. They were used to the taunts and jeers of most people who saw them and it made them sad. They were scared of strangers. But on seeing Fang and Iggy they brightened.

"Birdy!" Belle flung herself on Iggy and sat on his lap. "Look Birdy." She ferreted in the pocket of her dress and carefully pulled out a small cardboard box and proudly held it out. Neither Mel or Belle seemed to understand that Iggy could not see.

"It's your feather" Milo explained "I gave them a tack box each to keep them in. It's their most treasured possession I think"

"Ah" Iggy carefully felt the little box. "Look after it Belle, I don't give my feathers to everyone"

"Yes Birdy" she replied solemnly

"Do they have to call us that?" Fang said worriedly "Someone might hear"

"Don't worry yourself Fang" Jenny smiled at him "No one ever listens to them, only me. Now about those wings for the act"

"We could use our own?" Iggy suggested

"We could not" Fang said firmly "They look too real Ig"

"I guess so" Iggy conceded

"Perhaps I'll help Clemency design them" said Jenny. "Take your measurements myself"

"Could you do that?" asked Fang hopefully

"Yes sometimes I help with the costumes" She poured the tea "You didn't think I just sit around combing my beard did you?"

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Clemency watched Iggy make his way into the big top. He moved round the edge, his hand trailing the wooden barrier that separated the stalls from the ring.

"Is anyone here?" he asked "Fang is that you?"

"No it's me" she replied

"Clemency, ah, keep talking" he said.

"What about?"

"Anything, I'm taking a short cut" he stepped away from the ring side and headed directly for her across the ring, hand outstretched checking for any obstacles in his path.

"Well er.." suddenly commended to talk she suddenly found she couldn't think of anything to say

"Tell me about your design for our wings" said Iggy, guessing correctly at her sudden silence. He needed to aim for her voice across the open space.

"Ah, well I've thought about the right materials" she began. He altered his angle slightly to the right.

"Balsa wood is light so that's good, but it will never take the strain of the performance. I thought maybe a wooden frame but that would be too heavy."

He had reached her side, "Show me" he said

"Well this is all I've done so far" She placed the wing in the hand he held out towards her. She watched as he ran his fingers over it quickly.

"Sail cloth and wire" he smiled somewhere over her head. "Genius!"

Clemency blushed furiously, glad he wouldn't know.

"I need to liven it up though, get some colour and sparkle into it, or no one will see them from the ground."

He sat down next to her. "I don't have any ideas about that" he said lightly with a wry smile "Ask Fang or Jenny."

"Iggy" she looked at him sideways

"Yes?" he didn't turn his head towards her

"You know we leave the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes" he nodded. He was secretly dreading it. His carefully ordered world would get messed up _again._

"Well, it's like a tradition" Clemency continued "When we arrive at the new place, get set up. Well- for the young people to er step out together, you know. When we go to put the posters up and promote the show. Well we usually go for a drink after…If you want – I could come with you..so you don't get lost." She finished in a rush.

Iggy considered his reply carefully. Jenny was right, Clemency _had_ noticed him. Any other boy would have been thrilled at the offer. The owners daughter, and a girl who was prepared to overlook his obvious disadvantage. But Iggy was not any boy, he had wings. Real ones, and more important than even that, he was already in love with Fang.

"I like you a lot Clemency" he said at last "And I would like to see the new town with you..." He shrugged "Well you know what I mean.."

"But" she cut in brightly "I feel a but coming on Iggy"

"The but is that I would like to be your friend Clemency. I-I don't want a sweetheart though..." now he did turn to face her. "Can we be friends?" he asked. If the answer was no there would be no new act, no more of this circus for him and Fang.

"Yes- yes we can Iggy" Clemency said quickly "That would mean a lot to me"

Iggy's smile lit up his face, and Clemency's heart squeezed in her chest. On some level she had already realised the Iggy was – well a free spirit. Not a boy to be impressed by who she was, who her papa was. That was one of the reasons she liked him. But he was not hers, never could be. Fortunately, before her tears could do more than well up in her eyes Fang and Jenny arrived. A welcome distraction.

"How about thin scales of metal stitched on?" said Jenny considering the problem of adding sparkle to the wings.

"That could work!" Clemency agreed glad of something else to think about.

Jenny took charge of measuring the boys for the straps that would attach the wings. She took great care to measure Fang over his shirt. As she pulled the tape measure round his narrow torso her fingers brushed between his shoulder blades. The two extra joints where his wings started were prominent beneath her fingers. He moved his wings slightly, they actually rustled under his shirt. She made sure she stood between him and Clemency.

"I think you need to measure _under_" he said to her quietly. He didn't want his real wings pinned down by fake ones. He lifted his wings as far as his shirt would allow and Jenny whipped the tape measure round and called out the reading to Clemency. She did the same for Iggy.

"You are both very skinny" she observed.

Iggy's careful mental map – when to turn left or right, how many steps to here and there- was crashing down in the chaos of shouted instructions and things being dismantled. The circus was on the move. Iggy was hiding out in the horse tent preparing the animals for the move. He made sure that Moonlight's sensitive fetlock was bandaged to protect it on the journey. He caught the performing goose, named Sidney, and packed him in his travel crate. Sidney hissed at him. He was not a goose who like to be messed with. The clown's donkey, Buttercup, was more biddable as he tied her next to the horses, ready to move out.

He was packing away the brushes when Old Tom, with several burly maintenance men in tow came in to the tent.

"We need to move the horses across the field" he instructed Iggy "The men here are striking the tent"

"I er…" Iggy shook his head "I don't know where you mean Tom. Where's Fang?" he added hopefully

"He's busy upon the roof" replied Tom sourly, "We're _all _busy" He had never really approved of Mr Clements hiring the blind boy. Acrobat or no, he was a liability.

Iggy untied the two horses and the donkey, fumbling with the ropes in his anxiety. He hadn't really got a hope of making it across the field on his own.

"If er..Could someone show me the way?" he asked

"Like I said, we're all busy boy" Tom said "Mr Clements pays you to look after the horses, so do it!" He thrust the heavy crate containing Sidney at Iggy. "Take the goose as well."

Iggy, his arms full of Sidney, the horses and donkey obediently following him, stepped from the tent. He was surrounded by voices cursing and laughing and generally shouting at each other. He couldn't hear anyone he knew.

He tried a cautious step to the left, usually that led the way past the bear cage on the left, Nero the lion on the right. After that the elephant Jumbo. Then another right and that would eventually take him round to the front of the big top. At least that was how Iggy remembered it. Maybe, if he could make it round to the front then Fang would see him from there.

Iggy hadn't gone very far before his foot bumped against something in front of him. He put Sidney down, reached out a hand to feel what it was. Someone had laid planks of wood and wooden poles right across the path. The horses snorted, puzzled by his behaviour.

"What are you doing Birdy?" a little voice was suddenly at his elbow

"Belle?" Iggy queried

"And Mel" added Mel

"Trying to take the horses across the field" Iggy told them. Inspiration struck him.

"Can you see Jumbo girls?" The elephant would be with the other animals, waiting to be taken to the train.

"She's over there Birdy" Belle said puzzled

"Shall we go and see Jumbo together?" he said

"Yes Birdy, if you say so" Mel was as confused as her sister

Iggy held out the horses lead reins to the girls. "Would you hold these?"

"Me?" Belle whispered fearfully "Keep out of the way idiot girl!" she parroted what she had heard all her life. "Trouble" she nodded sagely to herself.

"Not this time" Iggy assured her "Belle and Mel _want _to help Birdy right?"

"Oh yes" Mel squeezed his hand. "We like Birdy – we do!"

Fang, high on the roof of the big top glanced down to see the strange little cavalcade of Iggy, two horses, one donkey, a large crate and Mel and Belle all trooping across the field to the lane that led to the train platform.

"See – there's Jumbo Birdy!" Belle's voice floated up to him. And Iggy nodding like he knew where she was pointing.

As soon as he was able, Fang slipped away across the field to where he had seen Iggy go. It worried him that Iggy was relying on Mel and Belle to guide him. They were sweet girls but so slow that they could lead him in to danger without meaning to. Neither girl had any idea that Iggy was blind. They just couldn't understand it. They held things up for Iggy to see, pointed things out in the distance to him. It would be nothing short of a miracle combined with Iggy's own skill at getting about if they didn't kill him.

To Fang's relief, as he ran swiftly across the field, he could see Iggy standing with the horses and donkey. Even Sidney's crate was intact at his feet. As he got closer he could see that Iggy was not alone, a small hunched figure, barely waist height against Iggy was with him, Milo.

"Fang?" Iggy turned his head at his approach. He recognised Fang's footsteps of course.

"Are you alright Ig?" he asked

Iggy scowled crossly "Of course I am Fang. I'm not totally helpless you know."

"I realise that!" Fang snapped back his relief making him short with Iggy.

"Hey" Iggy reached out his hand realising. "Everything is fine Fang. You'd better go" he added "Before you get into trouble"

All the men and boys of the circus had to pitch in when the circus was on the move, most of the women too. Only a select few were exempt, and even they had to do something to help.

"I'll stay with him" said Milo. He was of limited use to the men anyway, no one would much care that he wasn't helping with the tents. He could make himself useful looking after the animals, taking them to the train with Iggy.

Zara came into view round the side of the bears cage, her bald head covered by a headscarf. She was pulling a little cart in which sat Harry. As nimble as Harry was, he couldn't walk that far on his hands.

"Don't worry Fang" Harry said "We'll stick together"

Fang flashed him a grateful smile. Iggy would be alright with their new friends.

Fang was kept busy for hours, dismantling tents, packing canvas away, stacking poles. He was exhausted when he was finally given gruff permission by Clements to finish for the day. Clements himself had stripped to his shirt sleeves and worked alongside his men so Fang wasn't offended, Clements was as tired as him.

He walked with the other men away from the field which until today had been the home of the circus. Now it was just a flattened muddy patch, a few wisps of hay blowing about.

"A good run" said Clements falling in step beside him "Always good here, we'll be back in spring."

"What about the new place?" Fang asked curiously

"On a common just outside the town" said Clements "It usually works out" he glanced at Fang, smiled tiredly "See what they make of the new act eh?"

"It will be stupendous" said Fang firmly.

By the time they reached the lane the animal cages, the horses, elephant, everyone was gone.

"Where are they?" asked Fang

"On the train already" said Clements "You don't think I'd leave then out here for hours do you? The woman and such will have bedded them down by now."

"Ah" Fang nodded

"The bad news for you is that we have to walk two miles to the station now"

Fang shrugged tiredly. He had no choice.

The whole of the circus was packed on to the train, even the wagons were pulled up on to open trucks. It mean that the circus could travel much further than in the past when everyone had to walk. Only Clements understood that the train made everything much more expensive as well. Hiring it costs a fortune every half year. It was a gamble, so far it had paid off. The circus could perform more shows in more places than ever before.

Fang tracked Iggy down in the cattle truck that had the horse in it. He was sitting on a pile of straw drinking ale from a pottery mug.

"Here" he handed the mug to fang who downed the rest gratefully.

"And I saved you this" Iggy felt around briefly and handed Fang a plate with a huge ham sandwich on it.

"Thanks" Fang slumped down and took a bite, it was good. "Where'd you get this?"

"Milo" replied Iggy "He made food for everyone"

By "everyone" he meant the freaks. When the circus was on the move things changed. Poor Angus the giant was kept in constant demand due to his enormous strength, Jenny too, who was stronger than the other women and even some of the men was kept busy too. Milo did what he called keeping house, feeding everyone and looking after Mel and Belle.

"I helped" added Iggy "Once I'd sorted the horses". He had quickly learned his way about the wagons and made himself useful carrying Harry's cart on board, making up a bed for Mel and Belle, sorting the sleeping arrangements. Iggy was blind but he wasn't useless, no mater what Old Tom thought.

Fang didn't answer. He had fallen asleep on the straw. Iggy carefully covered him with a blanket and laid down next to him.

"Goodnight Fang" he whispered and kissed his sleeping head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"this is – outrage!" Vasily spluttered furiously at Clements. "Is…Is not acceptable!" the Russian acrobat's English was not that good at the best of times, now in his fury it practically deserted him.

The Russian troupe consisted of Vasily their leader, tall blonde and chiselled. His cousin Mikhael, a redhead as pretty as a girl, and his beautiful sister Katya who glowered at Clements. She had been sleeping with him and felt particularly betrayed.

"I will not have this – this – insult!" Vasily stormed again

Clements said nothing as the man waved his arms about and strode up and down the ring. Everyone else had slid out of the way, rehearsals were well and truly interrupted.

But of course, no one had gone far, they all hung about listening and watching.

"What will your father do?" muttered Fang. He, Iggy and Clemency were huddled at the back of the stalls, keeping a low profile in case Vasily tried to kill them.

"Nothing" Clemency shrugged "He will win, you'll see. It's his circus after all."

She was right of course. When Vasily finally paused in his raving Clements said

"You choose Vasily. I have said that I will honour your contract at the same pay until season's end. Or leave now."

Vasily span round and ranted again "You give us support act Clements? Support act to those two?!" He gestured towards Iggy and Fang, Fang flinched.

"Support act or no act" said Clements unmoved

"I will not… to stand for this insult!" Vasily snarled his handsome face flushed red with rage

Katya said something swiftly to him in Russian, still casting baleful looks at Clements. Whatever it was it deflated Vasily's anger.

"We stay" he said "We stay for now. But Clements" he scowled fiercely at him "You were like brother to me!" he gestured at Katya "My sister – well you rip out my heart Clements!" he clutched his chest dramatically. "Yes Clements- you kill me! Why you do this?"

"The boys are better than you" replied Clements evenly. He was a businessman first. "They'll draw the crowds alright"

Vasily flashed a string of what was presumably Russian abuse at him and stalked out. Mikhael dashed after him.

"…That went well" observed Clemency.

"Well indeed" Fang repeated.

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	3. Chapter 3

It seemed like half the circus folk were going into the town. There was a light-hearted atmosphere and people joked and chatted to each other brightly.

Clements handed out posters and printed leaflets to everybody, the trip had a purpose, they were advertising the circus, drumming up interest in the first performance which would be tomorrow night.

Fang and Iggy took their share of the posters,

"I never saw Jumbo do that!" observed Fang glancing at the poster.

"What?" asked Iggy as he shoved leaflets into a canvas bag slung on his shoulder.

"Standing on a huge ball and looking fierce" The poster depicted the elephant with great sweeping tusks rather than the tiny tusks she actually had.

"Poetic license!" said Clemency coming up to them and grinning.

She took Iggy's arm. "I haven't forgotten my promise to show you boys round the town"

Now Clemency was resolved to just be friends with Iggy she included Fang in everything too. The more she saw of them together, their easy banter, the way Iggy held Fang's hand without thinking, the more it made her wonder. Clemency was not stupid, growing up in a circus had given her a wide education. She thought she knew now why Iggy didn't want a sweetheart, he already had beautiful Fang.

Now she smiled at Fang and held out her hand to him too.

"You can both be gentlemen and escort a lady can't you?"

"Of course!" Fang did one of his elegant bows and took her free arm.

The three of them headed together across the common towards the town. Although it was late, past supper they still attracted crowds. Fang and Clemency were kept busy handing out the leaflets from Iggy's bag. Clemency expertly glued posters to any spare wall she could find until the little pot of glue she carried was all used up.

"You should turn a few somersaults" she advised them "The crowds like that"

"What now?" queried Iggy

"Of course now" she replied then added because she suddenly realised that he wouldn't know. "Or are you going to let Mikhael and Katya get all the attention?"

Vasily had stayed back at the circus, it was beneath his dignity to tumble in the street but he had sent the other two out. Both Katya and Mikhael were turning impressive somersaults and the crowd clapped.

"Of course not!" Fang took off his top hat and handed it to her to hold. Iggy gave her his bag.

"Alright Ig" Fang nodded "You've got space for at least five back flips directly in front of you. I'll turn the somersaults then we'll reverse and come back."

Iggy nodded. "Keep the people back Clemency" he said to her "I might not hear someone get in the way in these crowds"

"I will" Clemency stepped forward and in her best ring masters voice bellowed

"Make way! Make way! For the amazing Icarus and Daedalus!"

The crowd pushed back expectantly. Iggy vaulted backwards at amazing speed, Fang keeping pace with him spinning on his hands. Then with breath-taking dexterity they reversed the move with Fang flipping over and over.

"Over here Ig!" Fang paused "Up and over" he instructed

Iggy tilted his head to listen accurately to where Fang was, then leapt lightly onto Fang's shoulders before leaping off again backwards. As he landed Fang copied the move. When they were both back on the ground they bowed in unison, the crowd went wild.

"Tomorrow night at the big top! See Icarus and Daedalus!" Clemency raised her voice over the applause. "Prepare to be amazed!"

She caught sight of Katya and Mikhael standing to one side. Both were scowling.

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When the posters and leaflets were all gone, Clemency took them to a Public House called the Bear Pit. Looking round as they entered, Fang decided it was only slightly disreputable. Men and women sat at tables together laughing and drinking. Bar maids were kept busy dashing about carrying food and beer. In one corner sat a flamboyant women dressed in red satin she was singing a saucy song that seemed to involved the antics of sweet Nancy and seven brothers.

A closer look revealed that the flamboyant woman was actually a flamboyant man, heavily rouged and wearing a wig of golden curls. Clemency saw Fang looking and shrugged

"As I may have mentioned before Sir Fang, the circus folk are very diverse, the music hall folk too."

Fang grinned at her. "That's a good thing!"

"Isn't it just?" she replied grinning back

"What will you be havin darling?" a young barmaid swept past, then seeing who she was talking to, squealed loudly.

"Clemency! You're back!" she hugged her fiercely. "Hey Pa! Look whose here! My very best friend in the whole world. If it aint Clemency Clements?!"

She cast an appreciative eyes over Fang and Iggy, her dimpled smile grew wider

"Oooh! Clemency, who are your pretty friends?"

"Fang and Iggy" Clemency introduced them "This is Ethel". The blonde girl bobbed a curtsey

"Well you boys go and sit right down, I'll bring your beers" she chirped

She ushered them to a table by the piano and shooed away the occupants. "You've been sat there all evening with just one beer between you!" she scolded the two old men. "Go and prop up the bar!"

They grumbled but moved off. Fang and Iggy sat, Clemency next to them on the bench. The drag queen at the piano blew them a kiss and launched into a new song about young Jonny and his very good friend Dick.

Iggy laughed and sat back relaxed when he heard the song

"This is my kind of place!" he said appreciatively

Several beers and several hours later Ethel came and flopped next to them at the table

"I'm on me break" she said "Me feet are killing me!" She took a good long swig of beer that she had brought for herself "Hey Danny give us something nice!" she called across to the drag queen. He had stopped singing and was playing a jangly little tune.

"Have a heart Ethel" he replied "I'm done in!" he complained

"I'll play you something" offered Iggy

"You any good?" queried Ethel

"See what you think" he shrugged. He stood up and carefully made his way to the piano. Danny reached out and took his hand guiding it to the keyboard as he shifted off the piano stool.

"Here you go ducky" he said "Knock yerself out"

Iggy considered for a minute, then felt along the keys to get to the right place. He hadn't played in forever. He quickly ran up and down the scales to get his fingers moving. Nodded to himself and began to play.

"Moonlight Sonata by Mr Beethoven" Fang nodded to himself. Good choice. Iggy played well and before long the entire pub had fallen silent to listen. More used to raucous music hall numbers the pub regulars could still appreciate the dulcet notes of Mr Beethoven's lovely sonata.

Ethel dabbed at her tears "That was marvellous!" she said sniffing "I ain't never heard anything like that!"

Iggy bowed his head modestly as the applause swept round the pub. He stood up, shoving the piano stool back and turned back to the table. In a few steps and he was back at their side. Clemency shifted over and pulled Iggy down onto the bench. "Here" Fang pushed a tankard of beer across to him. Iggy reached out a hand and felt briefly for the pot before finding it and taking a long swig of the contents.

Ethel yawned "I'm done in" she said the pub was closing and her pa was diming the lamps and tidying away the glasses and tankards, she got up to help him and the other barmaids. "You should stay the night Clemency, and your friends too" she said eagerly

"What tonight?" Clemency queried

"Why not?" said Ethel. "We've got loads of room pa ain't got hardly no bookings for upstairs. You could share my room!" she grinned getting excited at the thought "An we can gossip and catch up then tomorrow I'll get you a right good breakfast before you go home!"

Clemency wavered. Ethel was probably one of her very best friends, and that was no small thing when you travelled around as much as she did. They only got to catch up about once a year. "But _my _pa will be worried" she said thoughtfully "If I don't come home"

"One of the others can give him a message" pressed Ethel. She waved towards the small group of other circus folk just gathering their things preparing to leave.

"Hey will you give a message to Clemency's pa?" she called across to a thin dark haired man. Clemency recognised him of course, one of the maintenance men who fixed the wagons and did most of the engineering things, like everyone he had more than one job, he also ran the carousel that sat outside the big top on performance days.

"Sure" the man, Jim wandered over to them. "Ain't no problem for me Miss Clemency. I'll tell your pa for you." He glanced at Iggy " That music what you played.. it was well…" He fumbled for the words "It was right good lad" he finished

"Thanks" Iggy smiled in his general direction

"You should be in like a concert hall or something" added Ethel "Not a circus"

Iggy shook his head "I'm not the type!" he said firmly the itinerant lifestyle of the circus suited him just fine.

"Come on I'll show you to your rooms" Ethel said "Pa won't mind if I don't help close up this once."

As they all followed Ethel up the broad staircase that led up to the pubs rental rooms, Clemency glanced back at the emptying main room. The final few people were leaving. She was surprised to see that Mikhael was among them, she hadn't noticed him before. He saw her looking and dipped his fair head, turning quickly away.

At the top of the stairs a long dark corridor stretched away lit by only two guttering lamps. Doors on either side gave way to bedrooms.

"My room is up on the top floor" Ethel explained "I got most of the attic, plenty of room for both of us Clemency girl" She grinned cheekily at Fang "I thought you an Iggy could sleep in here." She pushed open a door, the room beyond was basic but clean. There were two double beds and a single bed shoved into it. "It's up to you hows you choose to share out the beds!" she said.

Fang was not the blushing kind but if he had of been his face would have been red.

"Um yes, er thanks.." he pulled Iggy into the room and closed the door.

"This is great Fang" Iggy moved cautiously into the room "We get to spend some time together without an entire circus round us" he stopped in front of one of the double beds and reached down to sweep a hand across the surface. "Hey, a bed plenty big enough for both of us!"

"Yes" Fang shoved a handy chair hard under the door handle, there was no lock and he didn't want anyone bursting in on them. It would be.. difficult. His plans with Iggy didn't include interruptions.

Iggy was already taking off his coat and shirt , he stretched his wings out and flapped them gently. "God my wings are so cramped" he complained "It kills me to keep them folded so tight."

"Me too" Fang flung his own jacket on the bed and pulled his shirt quickly over his head. It was bliss to unfurl his wings and raise them high above his head. He shook his feathers out in a flurry of rapid wing beats.

"Come here Ig" he flopped on the bed and took Iggy's hand dragging him down beside him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Outside the bedroom window, clutching the drainpipe Mikhael nearly lost his grip and fell from the tiny ledge he was balancing on. He blinked rapidly and bit his own tongue to stop from crying out. Then he grinned in the hugest way, this was better than he dared hope. When he had seen Clemency and the boys heading up the stairs he had been determined to spy on them. Vasily would be so pleased if he could bring back anything at all on the dreadful duo who had so cruelly taken their place in the top billing. Mikhael hated the boys with the same passion that Vasily did but he was not a man like Vasily who easily gave vent to his anger. No, Mikhael would plot and wait and seize his opportunity, and now it had come.

To be honest he had really only expected to discover the boys in a compromising position with each other. He had hoped to try to make something of that although it was a dangerous thing to do in the circumstances. It was obvious to him that the boys were together like sweethearts were together. But the very reason he knew that was because he and Vasily were well… he wasn't Vasily's cousin at all actually. It was a handy cover story. But this was far far better than trying to get them arrested or something for indecency.

Peering back through the window Mikhael could just about see in the darkened room that Fang and Iggy were in a passionate embrace on the bed. But what he stared at was not that, but the tangle of huge black and white wings that sent vast shadows dancing across the celling. Mikhael was an acrobat too after all, he let himself swiftly and silently down the drainpipe and landed lightly in the street. Then he turned and sped away back to the circus and back to tell Vasily his news.

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Zara was heading back across the circus ground to the wagon she shared with Harry. It was very late but that's why she had chosen to go out now. She was carrying a bucket of water that she had heated on the last embers of an open fire that other people had cooked on earlier. Zara needed to have a thorough wash every single night so that she could oil her dry and itchy scales. She wasn't really like a lizard at all, she was just a woman, with a terrible and painful skin complaint. But it was very private to her, she only ever took care of her skin at night when no one was there to see. Well no one except Harry and he didn't count. She hand Harry were not lovers, that wasn't possible really, not for either of them, but he was her _soulmate _ and if that wasn't love then she didn't know what was.

Excited voices were raised as she passed the Russian acrobats wagon. Zara stopped to listen, curiosity got the better of her. The whole conversation was conducted in rapid Russian, but Zara spoke the language. Not that anyone cared anything about her except her bizarre appearance, but Zara actually spoke several languages. As a child before her skin was so bad she had been well educated and travelled all over with her mother and father, he was a wealthy French business man, and he had made sure her and her sister and brother were well educated. But that was then, and this was now, it had been a relief to everyone really when she finally slipped away one warm night on a train bound for Paris and joined the circus. They had never looked for her, nor she them.

Zara listened for as long as she needed to then hurried into her wagon.

"Harry!"

"What?" he had been sleeping and raised his head groggily from his pillow

"I heard Vasily and that Mikhael talking!" she whispered to him "I don't know how, but I think they found out about Fang and Iggy."

"Bugger!" Harry swung himself out of bed in one fluid motion and balanced on his hands looking up at her. "We need to warn them" he said with certainty.

"They're not here, not in the circus" she countered" I heard them saying something about a pub?"

Harry nodded, "Ah, I remember they went into the town with Clemency and the usual crowd."

Neither Harry nor Zara would ever go into the towns on the promotional jaunts. Being a freak in the safety of the circus was one thing, it was quite another to parade in public and get the inevitable jeers and worse that always followed. Besides Clements didn't encourage it, why would anyone _pay _to see the freaks if they had already seen them for nothing?

"Okay well we'll tell Milo" Harry nodded "He'll know what to do" Milo was kind of their unofficial leader. Not just because he was smart but he was well- the least freakiest of them all, maybe along with Angus. It meant that Milo could do things they couldn't. He could go into town without too much hassle and Clements didn't mind if he did. Milo was a clown not an official freak.

Zara and Harry made their way quickly to Milo and Jenny's wagon.

"We don't want to scare the girls" Zara reminded him. It wasn't just her concern for their feelings that prompted that thought, the girls would tell anyone anything if they asked. It was only that no one ever thought to talk to them that Iggy and Fang's wings were still a secret even now. But Mel and Belle wailing and sobbing that their "birdys" were in danger would likely attract even Clements attention.

"Yes, right" Harry knocked very gently on the wagon door. There was no answer, he knocked harder.

"What?" Milo's voice gruff with sleep came from behind the door. "It's Harry and Zara – we need to speak right now!" hissed Harry.

There was the sound of a lock being thrown and Milo stood sleepily in his night gown behind the open door. "Do you know what time it is?" he muttered crossly.

Zara nodded "Of course" she said "but this won't wait Milo."

They told Milo on the steps of his wagon so that Mel and Belle would not be woken.

"Ah okay" Milo was quick to realise the danger the boys were in. "Now I reckon that Angus will know where they've got to" he nodded thoughtfully. The giant like to drink. "And what's more he can get

back there quickly". Milo could not put on a turn of speed for anyone, not even if his or their life depended on it, he was far too short to do more than a gentle jog. Time was of the essence here.

The three of them crossed the pitch black circus ground to where Angus bedded down. He didn't own a wagon but usually made his home in the very storage tent where the boys had first met them all. Angus was even grumpier than Milo had been at being woken, but it only lasted for as long as it took for Zara to tell her tale.

"I'm off there right now!" growled Angus. He pulled on his boots and a jacket and set of at a long legged lope that ate the ground beneath him. Within minutes he was out of the field and into the surrounding streets.

Milo watched him go, the next problem would be what to do with the boys now? Their secret was out, and not to anyone trustworthy. They needed a plan. "Let's go wake Jenny" he said finally "We need to think this one through, the more heads the better."

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Fang and Iggy had fallen into a deep and restful sleep, happily tangled together on the big bed. Iggy had kicked off the covers, he was a restless sleeper at the best of times. Something to do with having no sight at all, it messed with his internal body clock, he could fall asleep in the middle of the day, or spend all night wide awake. Now he suddenly went from being sound asleep to wide awake in a heartbeat.

He sat up and listened hard. Someone was coming! He was sure of it.

"Fang – wake up!" he shook Fang roughly by the shoulder "I hear footsteps!"

"So?" Fang replied sleepily "It's a public house Ig, there are other guests"

"No" Iggy shook his head unaware that Fang could not see him "This is different – not people going to bed. There are lots of them, they are practically running."

Now they were closer Fang could hear them too. He was out of bed in an instant.

"Let's go now!" He groped around for his clothes. Like Iggy he had slept naked. Before he could do more than lay his hand on his trousers in the dark there was an almighty kick at the bedroom door. The chair almost but not quite gave way. Iggy had already grabbed his clothes in his arms and shoved his feet in his shoes, unlike Fang he bothered to leave his things where he could find them.

They ran to the window, Fang yanked it open, it was stiff but he was strong. He jumped through first opening his wings wide as he did so. Iggy was right behind him, he needed to follow where Fang led, so he knew which way to fly. Fang was going straight up, so Iggy did too, his wings angling steeply.

But something was wrong. Iggy was coming down again. At first he wasn't sure why, but then he felt something tangling in his wings. He reached out his hands to bat it off. It was a net, and the more he struggled the more tangled he got. With a crash he landed heavily on the ground. He could hear and feel people all around him.

"Let me go!" he screamed kicking out wildly. Next to him Fang was thrashing about too. He realised that they had both been caught. His foot connected with someone and a man yelled in pain.

"You little bastard!" the man snarled. Iggy tried to kick again, then he heard the sound of air rushing towards him. Someone landed a blow with something very hard on his head. Iggy just had time to work out that it felt like a metal bar before he passed out.

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When he came to Iggy was aware of the silence surrounding him, that and the throbbing of his head. His first reaction was one of panic, he was blind, the sounds around him were everything to him, his sanity, his grip on the world depended on them. He forced himself to breathe slowly and quietly.

Then he could hear the echo of breathes that were not his own. He reached out towards them, his movements made a noise, he began to breathe easier, he had not gone deaf and he was not entirely alone, just in a very very quiet room. His fingers touched Fang's shoulder, it was naked beneath his fingers, Fang had not had time to get dressed. Neither had Iggy but he realised that his clothes were chucked in an untidy heap by his feet. He shrugged on his trousers and shirt but placed his jacket over Fang as he lay still unconscious at his side. Just as he did so, Fang began to stir.

"Ow! My head!" Fang sat up "I think I'm going to be sick!"

"What the hell happened?" Iggy asked "I'm guessing that a bunch of men captured us in a net. Where are we though?"

"Ig I have no idea" Fang rubbed his head it was killing him.

"What do you mean?" Iggy pressed

"Well Ig either I've gone blind as well or we are in some pitch black place that could be anywhere. I don't know"

"Oh" Iggy said deflated. He relied on Fang to make sense of the world for him when he couldn't work it out himself, this was new.

"I'll see what I can figure out" he said. He got cautiously to his feet. Fortunately he had had the good sense to reach upwards as he stood because his fingers found a roof just inches above his head. If he had leapt up he would probably have smacked his head on the ceiling.

"Wow, this is a really low roof" he frowned, who made rooms with ceilings this low? He took a few steps forward and reached out a hand meaning to feel for a wall. His fingers found something much more worrying instead, the distinct cold metal of bars. Quickly Iggy paced round the small space, there were bars all around.

"We're in a cage Fang" he broke it to him trying to stay calm. He tilted his head and stamped hard on the wooden floor of the cage listening for the echoes. They didn't go far, absorbed quickly into the surrounding area. It was cold and damp smelling. "And I think the cage is in some kind of basement." He added.

"Great" Fang responded "Someone's got us figured Ig and I'm guessing that they have plans for us that don't include the flying act"

Iggy sat back down next to Fang. "Vasily, do you think?"

"Uh huh" Fang nodded even though there was no point. "Who else? He has the motive but how did he find out about us?"

"You don't think that Milo or...?" said Iggy brokenly. The freaks were their friends, or at least he had thought they were.

"No. I'm sure not" said Fang with conviction "They could have sold us out at any time for weeks Ig nothing happened to us did it? Not til now, til we came here. Somehow Vasily is behind it I'm sure. But now he knows what we are, or what he thinks we are it's not enough for him to just get rid of us. We should be grateful for that I guess, at least we're not at the bottom of a river."

"I guess" Iggy was cold and miserable, Fang had his jacket, his head hurt and being in the cage brought back some very bad memories. What was going to become of them?

"Hey" Fang put his arm round him and they huddled together for warmth. Fang scratted round his brain for something to say to Iggy to make him feel better. He couldn't think of anything.

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Angus arrived back at the Bear Pit pub to a scene of chaos. The mid -summer early dawn light was just breaking over the cluttered alleys and roofs of the houses nearby.

"What happened?" he demanded of the nearest man standing around in a huddled group outside. The man's eyes widened at the sight of Angus towering over him, he shrugged he wasn't going to argue with a giant.

"Dunno, I heard it was some kind of break in or robbery or something."

Angus' height gave him some advantages over other people, he could see over the heads of the crowd and realised that Clemency and her friend were standing further down the alleyway. Angus pushed through the little crowd it wasn't hard, people nearly always made way for him.

"Clemency?" he was at her side

"Oh Angus!" she looked up at him her eyes were red with weeping and she sniffed into a handkerchief. "Something terrible has happened..!"

"What?" he demanded again. Just as he said it he saw lying in the gutter two large and perfect feathers, one glossy black and the other a pure white with a delicate grey edge to it. He bent and picked them up. This was bad, very bad.

Clemency eyed him confused, why was he collecting feathers after everything that had happened?

"There was a robbery or something" she said to draw his attention from the two feathers he was holding in his huge hand. "I don't know…anyway I think Fang and Iggy are gone. I don't know, they never came down and Ethel says…" she began to sniff again.

"My pa has sent for the detectives" said Ethel "This ain't the first time we've been robbed"

"No" said Angus quickly "No police or anything – don't say anything about the boys will you? You didn't already tell your pa did you?"

"What?" Ethel frowned in confusion "No I didn't cos until just now we didn't know that the boys weren't here did we?" She hugged Clemency. "It was only when Clemency said why isn't Fang down here, maybe he saw something that I went to look – and then I saw the door smashed in and the window and…" She trailed off. She didn't know the boys but she was scared. This pub was, after all her home.

"Can we talk somewhere?" asked Angus, he was getting stared at as usual by the little group of neighbours. He needed to think this through, he wished that Milo was here, he was far smarter than Angus, but there was no one else only him. Things weren't adding up though, even to him.

"Yes, we can go inside" Ethel was saying, she led the way into the small back tap room. Angus sat down at a tiny table he looked ridiculous he knew, but there were more important things to think about. Clemency sat with him, Ethel went and got three pots of very weak beer.

"It's all we have" she shrugged "We don't do breakfasts, so no tea or nothing"

"It's fine" Angus took a swig of the beer, it tasted like water. That was good though he needed a clear head. It occurred to him that almost no time had passed since Zara had overheard the Russians planning whatever it was they were planning, less than a night. And in the time it had taken him to get back here the boys were gone. How had Vasily done it? Surely to get men together , to kidnap the boys and get them safely away would take days of planning?

"Ethel" a thought exploded in his brain " What's in this pub?"

"What?" Ethel was becoming convinced that the Scottish giant was simple. She looked around confused. "The things you see?" She ventured "Dunno, chairs, beer?"

"Angus shook his head "No I mean cellars, or rooms for storage that sort of thing. Here or anywhere else nearby"

"Of course" Ethel frowned "The pub is called the Bear Pit isn't it? There really was a bear pit here back in the day. All the cages and that are still there, the places where they kept the poor things."

"Can we look now?" asked Angus eagerly

"Oh" Clemency was finally getting it "Do you think that someone has kidnapped the boys Angus?"

"We can't" said Ethel with conviction "Pa doesn't own the cellars they was rented out separate by the owners of the pub before. He just has the pub."

"How do you get in?" Angus was on his feet.

"Well there's doors from where we keep the beers and all" Ethel was on her feet too. She led the way down a flight of damp stairs to some brick lined storage rooms. "There" she pointed to the heavy oak door flush against the wall. "That's one way"

Angus tried his shoulder against the door. For once his enormous strength didn't help. He just bruised his shoulder.

"No good" he rubbed at the place. "Anywhere else?" Surely the people who rented the cellars didn't troop through the pub every time they went in?

"Another door from the street" ventured Ethel. The three of them went back outside but to a different alleyway than before round the other side of the pub. Another huge door was locked and securely barred against the pub wall. Angus didn't even try this one.

"What's that?" he pointed to a small metal door in the wall. "The coal chute?"

Ethel nodded "But I don't think they keep coal down there" She shrugged looked around carefully before she spoke. "That pretty Russian man that's always here..I seen him talking to some men with _boxes _you know."

What she had said took a moment to register with both Angus and Clemency.

"Mikhael?" said Clemency " You mean Mikhael? The one we saw last night?"

Ethel nodded "Yeah that's him, always poking about"

"But we only just got here.." Clemency was confused "How can you have seen him so many times?"

"Dunno" Ethel said "But it's him I know it." She lowered her eyes modestly "When I first saw him...you know I thought he was well...kind of handsome. So I _noticed_ him. But he's mean" she frowned "And rude and there aint no call for that no matter how nice someone is to look at. So's anyway..." she trailed off. "He comes around here every few months."

How could Mikhael be here and be in the circus? Clemency didn't know but she didn't doubt her friend. She nodded thoughtfully. It didn't really surprise her to learn that Vasily and Mikhael did other things apart from the circus. She had never liked the Russian acrobats actually. Vasily had a nasty temper and Mikhael was arrogant.

"We need to get back to the circus" said Angus. An idea was forming in his head but he needed to talk to the others.

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	4. Chapter 4

Clemency was more than a little tired after the fast pace that Angus had set back to the circus. Now she sat in the storage tent that Angus called home, the rest of his friends were there.

"I sent Mel and Belle back to the wagon" said Jenny "I don't want them worried"

"Of course not" Milo agreed. He cast a cool glance at Clemency "I'm thinking that maybe someone else shouldn't be here"

Clemency was about to bristle and protest. The boys were her friends too. She had been with them when this dreadful thing happened.

Before she could open her mouth though, Angus broke in.

"No Milo, I disagree" he shook his head firmly. "I think we need to trust Clemency on this"

"What about the _code___Angus?" said Zara.

Angus was firm "She already knows _ something_" he pointed out. She may as well know the rest."

Clemency had no idea what they were talking about but appreciated that somehow Angus was sticking up for her. "You can trust me" she said quickly "You can. I'll never do anything to hurt the boys, and this is all about them right? Something has happened and you won't say what or why. All I know is that someone has _taken _them. How can I help if you won't tell me why?" Her voice broke slightly, she felt tearful.

Milo shrugged "Okay Angus. But –" he paused "you get to explain to the boys if this goes sideways that it was your idea."

"Yes!" Angus nodded "Nothing will happen I know it."

"Tell me now!" Clemency was going to scream with frustration if they didn't.

Milo shrugged again. "Well this is how it is then.. The thing is that the boys are not exactly.." he trailed off uncomfortable with telling the secret. He took a breath. "The thing is the boys are freaks too." He got out in a rush.

Clemency frowned. She had never seen two young men more beautiful, more _Perfect. _

"Maybe that's not the right word" continued Milo. "The boys aren't human, or we don't think they are." He and Jenny had spent many long hours debating it. It wasn't right to ask the boys themselves what they were, they wouldn't, they hated it themselves when people asked about their most private lives as if, just because they were freaks they had no right to any dignity, any privacy.

Jenny broke in "We think the boys might be angels" she said seriously.

Clemency blinked at her "_Angels_?" she repeated "Why would you think that?"

Jenny smiled "Well the fifteen foot wings that they both have for one thing"

"They have wings? – Oh" Clemency looked at the feathers that Angus held out to her,.the ones from the street that he had picked up. That made sense now.

"This is Fang's" Angus pointed to the black one. "The other one is Iggy's"

Clemency took them gingerly almost afraid of what she was seeing. The feathers were beautiful thick and glossy, but still – feathers.

"How-how did I not notice?" she said at last.

Angus smiled at her sympathetically "Don't worry we never realised either until they told us themselves" he said

"They can fold their wings in really tight" added Jenny "You'd never know if you didn't know. But next time you see them – take a look between their shoulder blades you can see that their shirts don't exactly fall smooth like. If you look really close you can see the extra joints they have."

Her comment brought everyone back to the issue in hand.

"_if _we see the boys again" said Zara miserably.

"But we know where they are" pointed out Angus

"Yes!" Clemency added "They're being held in the bear cages under the pub we think. We just don't know how to get to them"

"Well that's not true" said Angus "I do have an idea"

He grinned round at everyone. He had always thought that Milo was the smart one, but he was amazing himself with the way his brain was working today – perhaps he was just out of practice. When all anyone cared about was how strong he was, how _big _it was hard to remember that he was a man, and a man who had once had a normal life, school and plenty of book learning besides. After all he hadn't always been a giant, not when he was a boy.

"There's a coal chute" he said "Just a small one but I'm pretty certain we can get into the cellars that way"

"But Angus, it was tiny!" said Clemency recalling the small metal door.

"Then just as well I'm on the small side too" said Harry. He hadn't said anything until now but now he came forward, jumping nimbly off of his bale of hay.

"That's what I thought" Angus nodded "I wasn't volunteering for the job myself!"

Clemency looked at Harry thoughtfully, he was very small, but kind of lengthways. Now she really looked he had pretty broad shoulders from a lifetime of moving about on his hands. "Maybe.." she said slowly" But you might be too wide Harry"

"I don't think so" Harry said with conviction. I can strip down, grease up if I need to"

"I have oils you can use" added Zara.

"I'm going to smell like a woman" Harry scowled but really he was smiling. "Let's get this thing done before Vasily and his gang do whatever it is they are going to do to the boys."

"I think they want to sell them" said Clemency, now she knew the truth the rest made perfect sense. "I've been thinking – how could Mikhael go to the Bear Pit so often like Ethel says? And why? Then I thought- the circus only travels round and about this part of the country never that far from where we are now. And when we move we don't perform do we? Not for a few days usually. So I reckon Vasily sends Mikhael back here- he could easily hop on a train for an hour to do it. He sends him back here to keep an eye on his interests. I don't know what they are – smuggling or something I guess. But the point is Vasily already has loads of contacts, that's how he was able to get to the boys so quick. And I'll wager he's using those contacts to put out word that he has something special for sale." She looked round at them "How much do you suppose an angel would cost?"

"A fortune" said Milo

"I told you we should trust Clemency" said Angus "She's spot on I reckon"

Clemency smiled up at him. For the first time she noticed that actually he was really nice looking under his rather shaggy red beard.

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Angus, Clemency and Harry had managed to get back to the entrance to the cellars unnoticed. The crowds had dispersed and Ethel and her pa were now back inside cleaning up the mess. The police had been and gone. Clemency had had to practically run all the way back to keep up with Angus' huge stride but she insisted on coming. Harry had been carried by Angus so he was fine. He took off his jacket, then his shirt. He was uncomfortable really getting undressed in an alleyway in front of Clemency. He didn't need anyone to tell him that his body was not like other people's even his top half (his only half) was bent and twisted to one side, a fact that his clothes usually hid. But Clemency was being very practical as if she realised what he was thinking.

"Here, let me take your jacket Harry, and your shirt you don't want to ruin them in the dirt" She took his things and hung them neatly on a nail on the door. "Now turn round and I'll put Zara's oil on you"

She did so efficiently and thoroughly, Harry now balanced on his hands bare chested wearing just his trousers well what he called his trousers, the unusual garment was designed and lovingly made for him by Zara. Angus lifted him up to the coal chute. Pulling himself by his strong arms Harry disappeared inside. Clemency was right, it was a tight squeeze but Zara's oils helped and Harry could negotiate the turn of the chute where no one else would have been able to. It was the first time in his life where Harry's disability made him _better _ than anyone else.

From inside the cage Fang and Iggy heard the sound of him coming down the chute though at that point they couldn't have said what it was. They tensed up, ready to fight if they had to. Although they hadn't had need to do so so far, both the boys were excellent fighters. The only reason they had been captured was because they had been taken by surprise and had been massively outnumbered.

There was a thud and a slither as Harry arrived in the cellar. "Bugger" he said as he landed heavily.

"Harry?" Iggy queried at once, he knew the voices of almost everyone in the circus.

"I'm here to rescue you" came Harry's voice. To Fang his voice seemed eerily disembodied in the total darkness, to Iggy it was just normal.

"Hold on a moment" there was a scuffling sound "I have a light, some stuff" Harry fished in his trouser pockets and pulled out a candle and a book of lucky strikes. The candle flared into life.

He looked up squinting in the sudden brightness. Fang and Iggy were a few feet in front of him locked securely in a cage. That it was designed to hold a bear explained the thick metal bars, the hard ancient wood floor. Nothing could get out of it. Iggy was wearing his shoes, shirt and trousers and looked bedraggled and blood stained. Fang looked worse. No shoes, and while he had his own trousers on Iggy's jacket was hanging off him half ripped at one arm.

Harry moved quickly to the cage holding the candle in his mouth. "Here boys" he got close enough to the cage for Fang to reach through the bars and take the candle he stuck it in its own wax safely in the corner of the cage. It gave out plenty of light to see by.

"Harry! I'm so please to see you" said Fang and he was. In his worst moments he had wondered if they would ever be found. But if Harry was here, then so were some of the others, somehow they would get them out. Harry grinned up at him.

"I reckon I'm not before time. You look dreadful" Now he was closer he could see that one of Iggy's eyes was puffed and swollen shut and Fang had a nasty looking gash at his temple.

"Can you get us out Harry?" asked Iggy

"I don't think Angus could break into here" said Harry "Sorry boys, I don't know" Now the flush of success at finding the boys was over Harry realised that they were still just as trapped as ever. "We need keys for this padlock, and Ethel doesn't have them nor does her pa" he explained

Iggy reached out a hand and with only a little searching found the heavy padlock on the cage door. He ran his fingers across it. "If I had some wire or something I reckon I might open this" he said. He shook his head frustrated "But I've got only the clothes I stand up in"

"I've got wire!" Harry said jubilantly. He dove back into his pocket and pulled out a length of strong metal wire. Weirdly he hadn't even brought it for the occasion. He had been mending the handle of a bucket with it when Angus had called them all to the meeting. He had just shoved it in his pocket at the time and forgotten about it.

Harry watched fascinated as Iggy expertly picked the padlock. It was curious to see how he managed it, purely by feel his fingers checking and testing the mechanism whilst he looked with his one open eye somewhere over Harry's head. Harry was not one to comment on other people's – misfortunes- but he was impressed by Iggy's skill. The lock clicked open and Iggy pushed the cage door it squealed horribly. They all held their breath. Iggy tilted his head to one side.

"I think I can hear someone coming!" he hissed urgently

"Maybe its Angus" said Harry hopefully, "He's outside with Clemency" he added

"Clemency came?" Fang asked frowning

"Yes – I'll explain later" said Harry.

"It might not be Angus" said Fang quickly he blew the candle out and at once the cellar was plunged into darkness again. Harry moved quickly to just behind the door, he had no idea what he was going to do but had some vague idea that he could slip out of the open door if he could to get help. He was no fighter.

"Now they could all hear voices. The rough complaints of men, and none of them sounded like Angus. The lock to the door clunked open and it was pushed inwards, unlike the cage it was well oiled. All Fang and Iggy had time to hear was a man's half completed complaint;

"I'm gonna need more than a pony for this you foreign bastard you said the boys were ours to make the profit with, make it worth our while"

And Vasily's terse response in his broken English "You do as told, all of you, if you want not to be in river eh?"

"You threaten me you bastard?..." the man snarled back

"Well I have gun" pointed out Vasily "You think I won't use? You see."

As they argued they came into the room, one man had a hurricane lantern which threw bright light all around the cellar. There were five of them with a quick count Fang leant over to Iggy.

"Five Ig, you go left I'll go right"

Iggy nodded. They sprang out of the cage and went for the men. Fang kicked out at Vasily first he had the gun, the gun needed to be not in his hand. It went skittering across the brick floor. Iggy had already felled one of the men who lay ominously quietly on the floor near where the gun lay. Fang turned his attention to Vasily himself the Russian lunged at him but Fang wasn't there, he dived to one side and as he did so managed to kick Vasily hard at the knees. There was a snapping sound and Vasily crashed to the floor screaming. Fang thought he may have just snapped a tendon or something. Iggy was on top of one of the other men he seemed to have his hands round his throat.

Before Fang could do anything else the door burst wide open and now Angus was there too. He scooped up Vasily with one hand and shook him like a rag doll. The last man still standing tried to rush past him, the appearance of a giant, and not on his side and destroyed whatever bravado the man had left. Angus caught him in his other hand and held both men in front of him.

"Hey boys, not too late for the fight am I?" he grinned at them.

His grin lasted about thirty seconds as with a terrified yell two people came crashing into the cellar behind them. He span round still holding the men. Clemency had Mikhael by the hair and was dragging him in behind her.

"I found this scum outside" she said throwing him to the floor. Her horseback riding and acrobatics had made her strong, and she was also furious which made her stronger. Throwing Mikhael down though had been a mistake. He scrabbled wildly for a second then got shakily to his feet holding the gun.

"Let me go" he pleaded "Or I'll kill you all!" a frightened man with a gun was a dangerous thing.

"Put the gun down" Angus tried to reason "You'll not win lad"

"No!" Mikhael was visibly shaking "I want out- this wasn't my idea it was his!" he waved the gun at Vasily still dangling from Angus' fist "He said to –to take the angels – it was him!"

"Mikhael! Shoot you idiot!" Vasily got out, half strangled by Angus.

"No!" Mikhael practically shrieked "I never wanted this Vasily, look what you have done!" He broke into rapid Russian punctuated by sobs. He waved the gun about some more, then turning to them all switched back to English. Unlike Vasily his English was very good.

"He promised me – when he took me from Russia – he said it would be wonderful. Now we are here and either I have to shoot you all, including her." He gestured at Clemency " and If he finds out Clements will kill me. Or you will kill me giant. Angels might even kill me. Either way I'm a dead man!" He glared at Vasily. "You were supposed to get the men to kill _them_ or sell them, but no then you think you get bigger profit yourself, look where your greed has brought us!" He was sobbing unashamedly now. "Now I am to be a murderer, I …I…"

In a wild uncoordinated move he suddenly swung the gun up and pulled the trigger, several shots resounded in the small space. Vasily went limp in Angus' hand, blood pumped from his chest. And throat

"See!" Mikhael pleaded "I kill him for you. See I don't want any trouble – let me go! Let me go!" Still clutching the gun he turned and fled the cellar. No one tried to chase him.

There was silence for a heartbeat everyone looked at the various dead or unconscious men laying around the cellar. There was shouting and footsteps from above.

"We need to get out of here" said Fang

They all turned and ran back up the stairs, Angus scooping up Harry on the way and Fang taking Iggy's hand to guide him. Half way up the stairs they met Ethel's pa coming down closely followed by some of his male staff. He looked at them all flustered. It wasn't every day you met half a circus in your own pub.

"Clemency? What.." he caught sight of his daughter's friend.

"Opium dealers." She said quickly "They've been using the cellars to store it, I think they just killed each other."

They swept past him still standing there bewildered.

"Opium dealers?" queried Fang as they headed back to the circus.

"Well I couldn't think of anything else right then" she said

"No Opium dealers is fine" he assured her "It was a quick move."

"So you're glad I came along?" she glanced sideways at him and grinned

He grinned back.

Clemency lacked the tact of Milo or Angus. When they were safely back in Angus' tent all the rest of the freaks back round them she said boldly.

"So what are you then? And can I see your wings?"

"Uh if you want" Iggy pulled off his shirt it was half destroyed anyway . He held out his wings Clemency gasped.

"Birdy!" yelled Mel happily "Love Birdy." She told Clemency seriously

Clemency realised that she had been hearing Mel and Belle talk about" Birdy's" for a long while, until now she had never thought anything of it. She bowed her head ashamed.

"I ought to have listened more" she owned. Mel and Belle weren't stupid they were just well- what they were.

Fang's, no Iggy's torn jacket was falling off of Fang anyway. He shrugged it off completely and Clemency saw that between his shoulder blades as Jenny had said, he had two extra joints and running down from the spine of them a great sweep of black feathers; unlike Iggy he didn't unfurl his wings. He shrugged "Take a good look if you want"

"Are you really angels?" she asked

"We are not" he said firmly "We're – well something else.."

Iggy folded his own wings up neatly and sat back down next to Jenny on a bale of hay. She pressed a blanket into his hand and he wrapped it round his shoulders.

"Did you ever read a book about a scientist who tried to create another man? Mrs Mary Shelley wrote it." Iggy asked her. Fang had read it to him one long winter weekend when they had been between jobs.

"I er- read _about _it" Clemency said "The scientist made a monster instead right?"

"You know that the man was the monster, not the creature" Angus said quietly

Clemency chewed her lip for some reason she felt confused. "The man was the monster?"

Fang nodded "He shouldn't have tried to be God Clemency. That's what that story means."

"And if you are going to be God then you have _responsibilities_" Angus said. He gave her a wry smile "My father was a preacher, sorry I can't shake the habit"

Clemency blinked in surprise, Angus saw it and correctly guessed what she was thinking. "I wasn't always a giant you know once I was just a boy, a boy who grew."

"Can't you see- we are all just people" said Milo crossly "It doesn't matter what we are or how we got made does it?"

"It doesn't" Clemency agreed

"Anyway" Iggy smiled sadly in her direction "I think it's fair to say that our pa wasn't the most responsible of parents. He never did much care for us, I guess you could say we were his _experiments_" He rubbed at his eyes "Ow! That hurts" he fingered the bruise. "And I went wrong"

Fang got up and crossed the few short steps to where he was and sat on his other side. "You're not wrong Ig, you're just blind"

"I know" Iggy turned his head towards him and took Fang's hand.

Fang looked round defiantly at his friends. "If we're staying you may as well know..Iggy is my brother -kind of, but he's my sweetheart too"

Clemency had already guessed anyway, so had Jenny. The others pondered this news for a moment. Then Milo said, "Didn't I just finish saying? It doesn't matter what we are does it?"

"You know" said Clemency "I'm beginning to get that." She looked away quickly but not before Jenny had seen how her gaze had slide across Angus.

Jenny said nothing but smiled to herself. She reckoned they'd be planning another celebration soon enough.

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The circus was in happy uproar. Milo was somehow left in charge of most of the decorations and dashed abut as fast as he could yelling instructions to everyone about where to hang buntings and what gas lanterns needed to be sorted out. Jenny was equally busy, a whole small army of women were doing her bidding, setting up tables and arranging the food.

Clements walked through the chaos sedately, at his side an older man whip thin and dressed in sombre black.

"As you can see Reverend Mackintosh, we have everything under control" he was saying. Now he was over his initial shock at his daughters choice of groom he was beginning to see the advantages. It turned out that the giant wasn't just a giant, Angus had a keen brain and had already come up with some brilliant ideas for improving the circus. Clemency clearly adored him, and Angus was _kind_ to his daughter. Clements hadn't realised until the thought of his daughter's marriage became a reality that that mattered to him more than anything. With a giant to look out for her Clemency would always be okay.

Mel and Belle suddenly appeared at his elbow, both were dressed in pretty dresses made of pink silk. More of Zara's work.

"Bridesmaid" said Mel solemnly to the man in black

The Reverend Mackintosh regarded them soberly then his thin face broke into a wide smile,

"You look beautiful girls" he said "My boy's wedding will be a thing to remember!"

He was of course Angus' father as well as the man who was going to marry the couple. He had never dared hope that his strange son would ever be in the happy position of getting married, and Clemency was beautiful, although he was a Reverend he had to admit it. His own dear wife was long dead but if his son's marriage was half as happy as his had been then the boy would do well.

His son was walking towards him at that very moment, two exceptionally good looking young men pacing alongside. Someone had smartened him up, Angus wore a beautiful grey suit that someone had clearly made to measure for his great height. His beard was short and neatly combed.

"Father" he dipped his head formally although he towered over his father. But he couldn't contain his happiness and broke into a wide grin. The reverend Mackintosh smiled back.

There was a high pitched squeal, Ethel appeared at the door of Clemency's wagon which was hard by.

"Get out!" Ethel sprang down the steps and began to hustle the giant away, it was a comical scene. Ethel was a very small woman but Angus flinched and cowed before her.

"Why are you even here!" she was berating him "It's bad luck to see your bride before you get to the altar. Get out of here, get to the church!" She turned and railed at Fang and Iggy

"You're supposed to be _helping _him! How is this helping?" They too found themselves flinching under her tirade.

"Come on boys let's go" Angus began to stride away across the field. The Reverend Mackintosh trotting along behind.

"Son, you're not getting married without me there, wait up!"

Clements shrugged at them but he was clearly very happy

"Best be off boys before we get anymore of Ethel's wrath."

Fang glanced back, Ethel was shooing Mel and Belle into the wagon. "We all walk together see?"

He smiled at Clements then took Iggy's hand to guide him

"Wouldn't want that" he owned. Then to Iggy "Come on we've got a wedding to go to."

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End file.
